Remember when Facebook was fun?

When I first joined Facebook, I loved how accessible my friends suddenly were. I could read how their day was going and what they were doing. But it was more than that. I could fill out quizzes and see how mine compared to my friend's answers. We Super Poked, and Poked Pro each other, sent Fun Wall messages and wrote on each other's walls. They were wild and crazy days, where we didn't much think about the consequences of our actions. We had found a place we could play, and play we did.


Even in the beginning when I joined, I had some friends who questioned what the purpose of collecting all this information was and to what use it would be put. I can't say I completely discounted their words, but beyond tightening up my privacy controls, (which I found easy to use), I pretty much barged ahead and did whatever I wanted.

Our profiles were full of stuff we liked, and gave each other insights into who we were. Now my profile is a wasteland, reduced to only the comments my friends put there or inane "apps" that post meaningless updates on "achievements" my friends have accomplished. Where we used to play together, now we play alone. Oh sure, we send out invites to our friends to come play the same game, but what are we learning about each other?  And yes, I know I can change my filters on my profile, but they reset every time and eventually I gave up.

Nearly four years after joining, I long for the closeness Facebook used to bring. My friends still post updates on their day and doings, but gone is the interaction between us. No more Fun Wall, some people have even deactivated their wall, Poke Pro is still around but I can't remember the last time I actually got one, (although I sent one out just a few weeks ago).

Although I'm grateful for the closeness of being able to participate in my friend's lives long distance via Facebook, I can't help but miss what it used to be.